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March 2015 Moscow-Pullman Daily News
Palouse Living
| March 2015 | Moscow-Pullman Daily News
Your goals deserve my attention Every year, millions of Americans enjoy the rewards of homeownership. And they look to Wells Fargo Home Mortgage to help them find the home financing to fit their needs and goals. I’d like to help you too. With a variety of programs and dedication to personal service, you can feel confident that I’ll provide you with the information you need to help you choose the home financing to fit your current needs and future goals. • Conventional / FHA / VA Loans • New construction and renovation loans • PriorityBuyer® preapprovals
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Palouse Living
Moscow-Pullman Daily News | March 2015 |
The latest trends in wallpaper Newspaper Toolbox ver the last few years, wallpaper O has made a real comeback. Sometimes it dresses up just one wall,
but full-room covering has also had a resurgence of popularity. And wallpaper is no longer limited to walls; it can even be found on ceilings and lining bookshelves. So, the time has come to rethink your decorating? Here are some of the latest trends in wallpaper that can help you give your home an up-to-date look. A profusion of flowers Floral patterns are back in force, whether you prefer delicate prints or dramatic oversized patterns. This is the perfect opportunity to create a rustic feel with wallpaper depicting flowers or country prints, or an exotic atmosphere with animals and paisleys. Graphic patterns in the spotlight This year, lines and geometric shapes
are everywhere. Think diamonds, triangles, semicircles, and squares; not all of them in the same print, of course. A retro look Retro style is also very popular, especially with the return of gingham patterns. So give your home an up-todate look by going back a few years. The perfect illusion Trompe-l’oeil wallpaper is ideal for adding style to your rooms. You can choose a book motif for a library effect, or a wood-paneling design instead of expensive woodwork. Have a blue sky for a larger than life ceiling, and your decor will never go unnoticed. This year, different shades of purple, pastels, green, blue-gray, and bright yellow are very fashionable. You can count on these colors to create the latest in looks.
An easy DIY project to transform your dresser Newspaper Toolbox re you tired of looking at your A dresser? Getting rid of it isn’t your only solution. In fact, you could
give it a whole new look with only a little bit of effort. Here are some ideas for quickly transforming that old piece of furniture into a beautiful dresser. Paint brushes to the ready Use paint to give your dresser a new identity. A pastel or saturated colour? A warm or cool tone? A matte finish or glossy lacquer? All the choices will allow you to unleash your creativity. You could even choose a different colour for each drawer, draw stripes or geometric shapes, or paint designs using a stencil. For an antique look, choose patina-effect paint. Operation wallpaper Wallpaper is extremely popular at the moment; it’s perfect for transforming a dresser. You can use the same wallpaper for all the drawers or opt for different patterns. For example, if your dresser has several
rectangular drawers, you could play with patterns and colours to create a patchwork effect. Dress up that dresser If you don’t want to get into painting or wallpapering, you could update your furniture by simply changing a few details. Replace the drawer pulls with new ones and add moldings to the drawer fronts to give them extra character. Or use classy decals to give them your personal touch. Breathing new life into a dresser doesn’t take much time or money. What’s needed most to complete this project is a creative imagination.
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Palouse Living
| March 2015 | Moscow-Pullman Daily News
Negotiating in a strong market By Kim Cooper/Special to The Press/CDAPress.com egular readers know that we R consider ourselves in a strong market. Of course, as with all things
and that each is being encouraged to take another stab at an offer. Neither the buyer nor the seller are obligated real estate the market is very specific to continue to dicker. The buyer may to your location and although North respond that their offer is final, up Idaho real estate is moving at a the ante, or simply walk away. The comfortable pace, not every nook and seller may make different counter cranny of our market is booming. offers to each prospective buyer as Many Realtors who were active the form states: “SELLER is making during the feeding frenzy of 2004-2007 one or more counter offer(s) to other and survived the recession know how prospective BUYER(s) on terms that to handle situations of multiple offers. may or may not be the same or similar This phenomena is back and we are to the terms contained herein.” experiencing that reality often with We agree, the language can be well-priced listings. So how do you a bit unnerving and the seller is not protect a seller or how does a seller obligated to sell to any of the bidders protect themselves when marketing a regardless how aggressive their next hot property? offer may be. There was a time when It is pretty easy when several offers sellers would often get well above are received at once. We have a their asking price because desirable form for that. The seller will counter properties were so scarce. We are all parties with our RE-32 Multiple beginning to see this happen with Counter Offer form. This puts each increasing frequency today. “bidder” on notice that there are Most offers lower than the asking others vying for the same property price will receive a counter offer from
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the seller. In that event, the seller reserves the right to withdraw that counter offer anytime prior to the delivery of a signed counter: “Until Final Acceptance has occurred either Party may withdraw any offer, counter offer or multiple counter offer to buy or sell the PROPERTY.” Often, even when a property sits on the market for a while, a mysterious law of attraction causes another offer to be tendered on the heels of the first. When this happens a seller is in a position to accept the second offer if the counter offer has not been signed and delivered to them. A buyer who likes to negotiate can find themselves looking again if they make too many attempts to negotiate or deliberate too long over a reasonable counter offer from the seller. A seller’s agent can anticipate that another offer may come while waiting for a buyer to accept a counter and protect their seller by having them sign a document withdrawing their counter offer at the same time they
are signing the counter offer. That way, if another offer is received that is better than the first the seller can accept it by delivering the withdrawal notice that their agent has prepared in anticipation. Negotiation is expected by both parties. In a strong real estate market though, the risks increase with the level of activity. Be careful out there! Trust an expert...call a Realtor. Call your Realtor or visit www.cdarealtors. com to search properties on the Multiple Listing Service or to find a Realtor member who will represent your best interests. Kim Cooper is a real estate broker and the spokesman for the Coeur d’Alene Association of Realtors. Kim and the association invite your feedback and input for this column. You may contact them by writing to the Coeur d’Alene Association of Realtors, 409 W. Neider, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815 or by calling (208) 667-0664.
Seldom-heard Saint Patrick’s Day facts Metro Connections here are many things the public T knows about Saint Patrick’s Day, but there’s much they may not know about the holiday or Irish-American heritage for that matter. Here are some facts and trivia that might surprise even the most devoted of Patty’s Day revelers. ∙ Despite St. Patrick being alive centuries earlier, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations didn’t begin until 1737. ∙ More people of Irish heritage live in the United States than currently live in all of Ireland. ∙ Saint Patrick angered the Celtic Druids many times by converting pagans to Christianity. The Druids put him in jail on numerous occasions. ∙ Green is not the official color affiliated with Saint Patrick. It is really blue. However, green became a familiar hue during the nineteenth century more for being associated
with the magic of Irish legends than Saint Patrick himself. ∙ The three-leaf shamrock has more historical significance with regards to Saint Patrick’s day than a fourleaf clover. That’s because the three leaves were believed to be used by St. Patrick to explain the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity, where God exists as three persons. ∙ For 67 years, Saint Patrick’s Day was a “dry” holiday in Ireland. James O’Mara, a member of Irish parliament, introduced a bill in 1903 that made Saint Patrick’s Day a religious holiday in the country. Therefore, local pubs were obligated to close. The law was overturned in 1970. ∙ According to their Web site, Hallmark has been selling green Saint Patrick’s Day cards since the early 1920s, now selling as many as 15 million annually.
Palouse Living
Moscow-Pullman Daily News | March 2015 |
A Zen garden Newspaper Toolbox en gardens originated in China Z and were designed as places for Buddhist monks to pray. They
Green lawns are not normally part of Zen gardens. Ground cover that creeps around stones is preferred, such welcomed the devout into outdoor areas as thyme, white violets, or periwinkle. where nature had been stripped down Wood or bamboo furniture is perfect, to the bare essentials, in a reflection of accompanied by oriental-style screens their spiritual beliefs. Later, the Japanese or delicate archways. Stone lanterns developed their own outdoor areas in and Japanese style pots compliment the form of meditation gardens. These the arrangements. Another must in a influenced today’s Zen style with its Zen garden is a discreet water feature, minimalist approach and a pared down even just a rock with a small hollow layout where repetition of design and in the middle would be ideal. After all, plant species are favoured over diversity. the secret to Zen garden success is If you would like to create your very moderation. own Zen garden, be sure to choose Zen gardens require little small trees with white blossoms maintenance work and are great for — white is a highly symbolic color small areas, as they are made up almost for the Japanese. Opt for magnolias entirely of stones, pebbles, and plants in or apple trees, which will also exude repeating patterns. Now, close your eyes unforgettable fragrances. White azaleas and visualize a wooden bridge over a are also perfect for this type of garden, stream of white pebbles and a bed of along with dwarf pines, ferns, grasses, creeping thyme. What a soothing place and hostas. to relax and catch up with yourself!
3 steps to reorganizing your pantry Newspaper Toolbox our pantry’s a real combat Y zone? Your dry staples are spilling out of their bags, powdered
spices cover the shelves, and there may even be a mouse in there somewhere. When your pantry is a total mess, you can never find anything, and when you do, it’s way past its expiry date. The time has come to solve this problem once and for all. 1. Sort Before reorganizing, a major cleanup is required. Empty the pantry and wash the shelves with a non-toxic cleaning product. Take an inventory of what you have; you may find that some foods are duplicated and some are no longer edible. Sort everything, discarding expired foodstuffs and setting aside for the food bank any unopened items that you’ll never use. 2. Store If you want your pantry to be an effective storage space for your food,
it all has to be clearly visible. Use clear containers made of plastic or glass to store your various foods. Opt for square or rectangular containers, as they stack and store nicely; round containers tend to waste space. Place your flour, cereals, rice, and pulses in airtight containers to keep them out of reach of insects. If necessary, label the containers. 3. Organize Organize your shelves by category: macaroni with spaghetti, flour with sugar, dried basil with parsley. Alternatively, you can group together foods that you usually combine, such as pasta and tomato sauce. Place foods you use most frequently at the front of the middle shelves. Store candies, cookies, and treats high up, away from the children, and keep heavier bags and packages of food on the lower shelves to avoid accidents. So, now it’s time to get to work; you’ve got a lot to do!
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Palouse Living
| March 2015 | Moscow-Pullman Daily News
Green cleaning for all, part two: kids! By Judy Sobeloff rue confession time. Before T submitting my previous column on green cleaning, in which I waxed
enthusiastic about having my kids make their own green cleaning spray (which would magically motivate them to start cleaning the kitchen and bathroom), I deleted one crucial line: I’ll report back on our progress in a future column. Yup. Enthusiastic though I was about trying this, no way was I going to commit to divulging the results. But now, nearly six weeks in, I can honestly say I am stunned—in a good way—by how well this is going. Here’s a glimpse. We started by each making a spray bottle’s worth of all-purpose green-cleaning spray (water, 1 cup white vinegar, 6 Tablespoons lemon juice, 10 drops of citrus or other essential oil). We had two essential oils on hand, lavender and eucalyptus, purchased approximately ten years before. As
my 13-year-old daughter said of this combination: “Smells like port-apotty.” That didn’t stop anyone. She and her ten-year-old brother were remarkably and weirdly enthusiastic almost from the get-go. Actual dialogue as we entered the bathroom: “I want to spray the shower!” “I want to help with the shower!” My son seemed more excited about using the spray bottle to clean the bathtub than he had been when he played laser tag for the first time a few weeks before, an activity I could see now was remarkably similar. He used a full bottle of spray on this first foray, and every spritz was accompanied by loud sound effects along the lines of “Hi-YAH! Hi-YAH!” Actual dialogue: Me: Let’s stop! Please stop! Him: But this is hyper-powered! I had to leave the room. When I finally came back he said, “Okay, I’m done,” but then he kept scrubbing.
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jobs later on. She grabs a random t-shirt from the dirty clothes pile to wipe up excess water and toothpaste blobs. As the week went on, and as the—surprise!—occasional wet toilet seat indicated, the kids were indeed following through with cleaning daily. By now the bloom is perhaps off the rose. But this is as it should be. With modest prompting the kids have kept up the cleaning. Recently they made green-cleaning soft scrub (see the recipe below), which works even better than the spray for occasional use. While I’m not planning to host a dinner party or art installation in our bathroom any time soon, I’m pleased to say so far this endeavor has been astonishingly successful. Hi-YAH! Judy Sobeloff is a teaching artist and freelance writer who lives with her family in Moscow.
Green-Cleaning Bathroom Soft Scrub (adapted from Emily McClements, www.liverenewed.com) Ingredients
& Mattress (208) 882-4114
Basically the kids cleaned while I stood there with my mouth open and documented. Meanwhile, my daughter was invested in scrubbing the sink with a piece of fine-mesh drywall screen (available at Moscow Building Supply). When my husband (who for the record does more than his fair share of work around the house) got home and saw the condition of the sink, these were his actual words: “How crazy! That’s insane! What did you do? It’s all gleaming white!” True enough, the drain plug, which had for years been a dingy yellow, was now bright white. But more surprising still was how gung-ho the kids continued to be about the cleaning process. One thing we did not get to was the “special treat” of cleaning the toilet with vinegar and baking soda (the famed ingredients of many a science fair erupting volcano project). The next morning, however, on his own initiative, my son announced, “I made a baking soda and vinegar explosion in the downstairs toilet this morning. It was kind of boring. It just made a little bit of fizz under the water. I’m pretty sure the baking soda has to be dry to react,” he theorized. Not wasting any time, my daughter was already installed in the upstairs bathroom, scrubbing fake Halloween blood off the sink and other surfaces with the drywall screen. In Totally Together, Stephanie O’Dea suggests a quick daily “wipe-down” of the bathroom to avoid big cleaning
3/4 cup baking soda 1/4 cup castile soap (such as Dr. Bronner’s peppermint) 1 Tablespoon water Combine the baking soda and castile soap in a bowl. Add the water and stir with a fork until you have a
creamy consistency. Scoop out with a sponge to use. Store the rest in an air-tight container. soaps, towels or maybe flowers. Hide your razors, toothbrushes and shampoos out of sight in a cabinet while your house is being shown. Clean out your closets so they aren’t packed to the rafters.
PALOUSE LIVING
Moscow-Pullman Daily News | March 2015 | 7
Make the most of your home appraisal Metro Connections hen homeowners think about W renovating their properties, many first need to secure some
should be mentioned. A real estate appraiser is a certified, licensed professional who will do his funding to finance such projects. or her best to determine the value of Some may tap into the equity of their your home. The appraisal provides homes by refinancing an existing banks with information that can tell mortgage, while others may apply for loan officers if the house is worth the home equity loans. Taking the latter loan amount. Expect to pay a fee approach may require certain steps, for the appraisal, which is generally including an assessment of how much included in your closing costs. the home and property is worth. The appraiser gathers information Home appraisals compare your for the appraisal report from a number home to neighboring properties to of sources, but the process often determine your home’s current market begins with a physical inspection of value. Homeowners can facilitate the the property, both inside and out. process by having certain information He or she also will compare your readily available for the appraiser. home against a few others in the When preparing for appraisers, neighborhood, which are known as homeowners should consider and comparables, or comps. Appraisals collect the following information: will be based on recent prices of comparable properties as well as · If you have made significant other factors. upgrades since it was last appraised, Apart from the improvements done such as installing a new roof or siding. to the home, there are other ways Don’t overlook smaller renovations, to get a higher appraisal amount. like extra insulation added or sealing The appraiser may consider the drafty windows, which can increase a overall maintenance of the home home’s value. and property. It is wise to consider curb appeal and ensure the home · If your home was built on the is clean and maintained when the largest lot in the community. appraiser arrives. Minor repairs or · Proof that you have used common maintenance can impress sustainable resources or if you the appraiser. Removing clutter participated in any energy-savings and cleaning up the home’s interior programs. can make the home appear larger, possibly increasing its value as a Naturally, any expansion projects, result. such as adding another bedroom or It may be worth it to invest some extending the footprint of the home,
What is corned beef? Metro Connections
A
t least once a year people gather to enjoy a dish that is widely associated with Irish culture. Corned beef is a meat that is customarily served alongside potatoes and cabbage. Many people understand the “beef”part of the corned beef name, but do not understand the “corned”part. Corning refers to pickling meat in brine. Brines, which are composed of salt water, were often used to preserve
meats when refrigeration was not available. According to the Department of Agriculture, the word “corn”comes from Anglo-Saxon times when meat was dry-cured in coarse “corns” of salt. Pellets of salt were rubbed into the meat to preserve it. Corned beef brines today contain more than just salt. They may have different spices and flavorings to add to the taste of the meat.
more money into the property before having an appraisal done. A study sponsored by the National Association of Realtors says wood floors, landscaping and an enclosed garage can lead to a more favorable appraisal. An appraiser will spend roughly 30 minutes in a home. Try to give that person space to do his or her job. Following the appraiser around during an inspection can raise a red flag that something is wrong with the house that you don’t want to be seen. Turn lights on throughout the house, make sure the heating or cooling system is functioning at full capacity and keep pets locked away. Move items that can impede access to basements or attics. An accurate assessment of the value of your home will give banks the information they need to determine loan amounts for future renovation projects. Providing background
information on the home and having a well-maintained property can improve the chances of a favorable appraisal.
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217 S. Main Street Moscow, Idaho
Stop by & say hi! 217 S. Main Street Moscow, Idaho (208) 882-0800 www.cbtmoscow.com
| March 2015 | Moscow-Pullman Daily News
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